What are you doing right now? I don't mean sitting reading this, I mean in terms of your life? What do you do? And secondly is it significant? Does it matter?
I guess many of us have a hierarchy of significance, especially in church where we rank certain jobs as being more significant in kingdom terms. But that is distinctly unbiblical, the question is 'What is God already doing in and around you today?' How is God using you to reach those people he has placed around you as you work, as you rest, as you live life?
What opportunities has God opened up for you in the workplace as you work out how the gospel impact your work, and your relationships with your colleagues, those who work under you and your bosses? What are you praying for God to be doing?
We can multiply those questions because God has not taken his eye off our life, or stepped off his throne. He is sovereign he reigns, he has a purpose for us exactly where he has put us, and that purpose is to reveal his kingdom as we live in exile.
We need to change our way of thinking and speaking so that we raise this with one another, so that we pray for one another in the situations in which God has placed us to serve him. We also need to change our thinking about church so that we view it as preparing and equipping us for this day by day moment by moment everyday every member ministry.
Showing posts with label christian living and loving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christian living and loving. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Loving Jesus means Loving People
Yeah I've managed to grab a few minutes internet access (the copper cable has been stolen from our area meaning no internet or phone line for about a week!). Last night I had the opportunity to speak at Leed Met CU, here are my notes:
Following Jesus – Loving the Uni – Luke 7v36-50
How we think of the gospel determines what we do with the gospel. Here is Luke 7 we see Jesus engaging in mission, we see him connecting with people, convinced that no-one is beyond the gospels reach and loving people.
1. Connecting with people
**Where is Jesus? He is at Simon the Pharisees house having a meal. Jesus is spending time with people. This is not a one off. Jesus goes where people are and where they are comfortable to connect with people. He goes to the synagogues, he deliberately goes to see a demon possessed man, he goes into Simon Peter’s home, he gets into the fishermen’s boats, he goes from town to town, he goes to Levi’s work and then his house, he goes to a funeral, he goes from village to village and town to town and so on...
Jesus deliberately and intentionally goes where people are! He goes where they are comfortable be it the synagogue for religious people, the home for other people, the street for others. And Jesus doesn’t just give people a few minutes in his busy schedule he invests time in building relationships.
Meals play an enormous part in Jesus ministry in Luke, and meals weren’t a rushed fast-food grab a bite to eat type of affair. They were relaxed and relational. In Luke 5 we see Jesus eat in Peter’s house, then Levi’s house, we see it here, and when Jesus sends out the 12 and the 72 on mission eating with people is part of what he tells them to do. He feeds the 5,000, he eats with various Pharisees’ at least 3 times, he eats with Mary and Martha, with Zacchaeus, he eats with his disciples at Passover and then after his resurrection twice he eats with disciples.
Jesus connects with people, with all sorts of people, he takes time out to invest in relationships and goes where people are and shares a meal with them. And he expects both the 12 and the 72 to do the same when he sends them out.
Build relationships, connect with people, go out to them. And meals still provide a brilliant opportunity to do that. They provide an opportunity to get to know people, it shows people we care about them and want to get to know them, it helps us find out about their needs, their loves, the way they think so that we can serve them. They also provide an opportunity to connect your unbelieving friends with other people who know and love Jesus (50:50 meals).
2. Convinced that no-one is beyond the gospel’s reach
Another of Luke’s big themes in his gospel is that Jesus is for outsiders, and we see it here with this notoriously sinful woman. As she walks into the room all the Pharisees are trying not to get to close to her, they are shocked that she’d dare enter the house.
**By contrast how does Jesus react to her? Jesus isn’t embarrassed, he doesn’t recoil in horror even though he knows what the others in the room are thinking. Jesus welcomes her and explains her actions.
(47-48)**What’s the word that’s repeated 4 times in these verses? “forgiven”. Jesus says she has done this because she is forgiven; the Pharisees are shocked that Jesus forgives sin and Jesus reiterates that she is saved by faith.
To the Pharisees this woman was beyond hope. There was no way she could be saved. But Jesus is utterly convinced that no-one is beyond the power of the gospel to save.
But there is another theme in Luke that I think we sometimes miss; Jesus also comes to save religious people. He is in Simon the Pharisees home, Simon is a good guy, he’d be in the temple every week, he knows his bible, he never swears or blasphemes, he doesn’t get drunk, he gives to good causes. But Jesus is utterly convinced that Simon is not without need of or beyond the reach of the gospel either!
Simon thinks like the world does. He thinks of morality as a ladder [draw it out], and the cut off point for being saved is just under where he is, but this woman is no-where near it.
Jesus tells a brilliant story to show how wrong that is, (41-42). I need two volunteers. Just open the envelope, what’s in there? It’s a bill for £4195 – 2 months average wage, and £44052 – 500 days wages. But neither of you can pay it! Ok, I’ll cancel them – rip up bill. How do you feel!
That’s the picture Jesus gives of morality. We are all debtors and notice what he says; neither can pay back what they owe. We need the one we owe the debt to – God – to forgive the debt.
Simon needs to be forgiven just as much as the woman does, both owe an un-payable debt, the scale is irrelevant.
We need to be convinced that everyone has a debt that they cannot pay, and we also need to share Jesus conviction that the gospel alone can reach the very, very bad and the very, very good!
Do you see Jesus conviction – No-one is beyond the need of the gospel or the power of the gospel to save! The bad boys of campus, the hard drinking, sex addicted, party animals need to hear this because the gospel can, and is the only thing that can save them. And our religious friends need to hear this, the good hard working person on our floor, or in our flat or house needs to hear and respond to Jesus, because their being good will not pay off the debt of sin.
We need to share this conviction Jesus has that the gospel is the only power that can change the world one life at a time, that no-one is immune from needing to hear this. Because if we don’t we will not hold out the gospel, we will not serve those in need of the gospel.
3. Compelled by grace to love
Rather than avoiding talking about the woman and her actions Jesus uses her to teach a valuable lesson. What prompted the woman to do this? To enter this room of religious types who would look down their noses at her, to risk social rejection and the angry glares and mutterings? Love.
(47)”Her many sins have been forgiven – as her great love has shown.” She does what she does because she has experienced forgiveness, she knows that the great un-payable debt of her sin has been paid for her and she loves the one who has done that for her. The word forgiveness here is in the past tense, she is responding here and now in Luke 7 to what has already happened, not contributing to her salvation.
She knows she has been forgiven that she has experienced grace, and she loves the one who has shown her that grace a love that is seen in loving lavish service of Jesus her saviour.
What is it that drives our service of Jesus? It has to be understanding the grace of God in Jesus. Realising the extent and cosmic scale of our debt, that our sin and rebellion against God leaves us spiritually utterly bankrupt. But that Jesus Christ pays for every single one of our sins, and we are forgiven – justified! You can only respond to such love with love, to such grace with giving everything you have.
It is only loving others because we grasp how much we have been loved that enables us, empowers us to share the gospel, to serve others, to love them enough to meet their needs, and to love them so much that we will speak the gospel to them convinced of their ultimate universal need and the gospels ability to save them.
Do you see the convictions we need? Everyone on the campus needs Jesus and the gospel is so powerful it can change the world one life at a time. But we only love people as we understand how much we have been loved, the scale of the debt Christ has paid for us. That love is seen in building relationships, spending time with people, serving them but convinced that ultimately they need Jesus.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Hope in the face of Death 2 Corinthians 5v1-10
Corinth was a fascinating city it had been totally destroyed in 146 BC and was rebuilt in 44 BC by Julius Caesar. This rebuilt city was repopulated with old soldiers, slaves and ex-slaves and became a city of contrasts; there were the very wealthy and the poverty stricken. One third of the population of the city were slaves who had nothing, yet for the very rich, many of whom were ex-slaves made good, “wealth and ostentatious display became a hallmark of Corinth”
In Corinth the gospel was under threat because the church in had too much of Corinth in it. In society they prized power, charisma, personality, and speaking skills and the church adopted the values of society. It led to misunderstandings about where and when they live – they thought they had already arrived, that the blessings of the kingdom come were to be theirs now! And so as they look at Paul who is hard pressed, beaten, persecuted and arrested they questioned his ministry – can he really be an apostle if he’s suffering, where is the power in his life? And crucially it means that when they experience difficulty, persecution, and hardship they will be rocked to their foundations.
Paul confronts this head spending ch1-7 defending his gospel ministry and seeking to correct their misunderstandings. As we come to ch5 Paul has been explaining how the believers hope is not realised now. Now we experience suffering (4:7-18)our physical bodies are decaying and wasting away, but our hope is not in now, it’s not in our physical well being or freedom from persecution or infirmity, it is(4:16-18) in our future. Suffering and wasting away now prepare us for glory when Christ returns and we receive our eternal glory, and the implications are massive because it affects what we value. Believers value inward renewal not outward appearance(16), believers value the future over the present(17), and believers value the unseen over what is seen(18).
Our future is eternal and glorious even if now we experience suffering, ageing and hardship. Paul’s teaching in chapter 5 builds on this. In (1-5)Paul reminds them of what they know, before in (6-10)applying that to their attitude and living.
1. What we knowHow does the world think of death? How does that show itself in society? How do believers think counter culturally?
George Bernard Shaw wrote: ‘Death is the ultimate statistic: one in one dies.’ Yet the world buries that, it denies that reality in the way it lives, it seeks to disprove it in the never ending groping of science to prolong life. Death is the great enemy! And we want to say yes death is the great enemy, it’s the ultimate consequence of sin. But Paul reminds believrs death is not the unconquerable end of hope for the believer.
(1)Paul begins “For we know” because he is reminding them of what they have already been taught. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 – read it. Paul here reminds them of what he has already taught them – death is not the unconquerable enemy, death is the conquered enemy. He reminds them that our hope is not in this life but in life beyond death, in fact it is in resurrection life because Christ’s people are resurrection people. Our hope is eternal glory which outweighs all the struggles and sufferings of this present life.
As he reminds them of what they know about hope, glory, death and resurrection Paul uses different metaphors.
a. Earthly tent v Eternal house(1)Paul begins with a compare and contrast metaphor of an earthly tent, our bodies and an eternal house, our resurrection bodies.
The body is like a tent in that it is temporary and will one day be taken down – in other words we will die. But believers do not despair because **what do we have? A building from God and it’s more secure, more substantial, permanent, heavenly and eternal, it won’t be subject to wear and tear, it won’t suffer or be taken down.
It’s a brilliant image isn’t it? If I offered you the choice; live in a tent or a house which would you choose? House, why? Security, safety, permanence, comfort and so on.
Death may claim our tent – our temporary residence but it will not claim us. In fact our hope is not in the world it will only be realised after death. Death does not signify the end of hope for believers but a doorway to hope.
b. New clothes(2-4)
**Paul uses a second image, what is it? Clothing. Knowing what we know – that this body is temporary and God has prepared for us a resurrection body that will be glorious and eternal we “groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling”. In anticipation we long to put on our resurrection bodies because the bodies we have now aren’t perfect, in them we experience suffering and are subject to the decay of living in a sin sick world. We want to put on our resurrection bodies not so we can live in them here and now but because they will mean that we are enjoying eternal glory with God.
Believers are not afraid of death, though we may have a fear of how we die. Death is not the end we know that and we trust God. But neither do Christians have a death wish, it is not that we long to die and be done with this world. No, our longing is a positive one we long to experience all the joys and wonders of relationship with God fully realised in the new creation when the perishable is clothed with imperishable and when Christ’s victory is realised at his return – when our longing for God’s glory to be fully and universal known is fulfilled.
Believers long for our resurrection life when Christ has returned and everything is united under him.
c. Our Guarantee of life(5)But how can we be sure? (5)God has made us for this purpose through the gospel(5:17), he has made us for life eternal and we have the deposit – the Holy Spirit living in us.
Imagine I put down a deposit of £500 on a new car over the internet. **What does that deposit say to the dealer? I am coming to get that car, it will be mine and I have made a considerable investment in it so it is kept for me. It promises that I will pay for it in full and take possession of it.
So it is with the Holy Spirit, at the point of conversion the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people as a deposit of what will come. He is the downpayment – a partial experience of what our true glorified and realised relationship with God will be like so that we are certain of its reality. It’s a taster and a promissory sign that what God has begun he will complete, what he has promised he will make good. He works in us to renew and remake us day by day as a sure and certain sign that we are being renewed and fitted for a purpose – resurrection and being with God.
Our current life is not our hope, our current bodies are not all that we are. Our hope is in resurrection bodies fitted and glorified to spend eternity with the God of glory. And we know it is our certain future therefore death is a beaten enemy and we do not fear death because we know it has no hold on us.
The world views death as the ultimate tragedy, an end to all life, dreams, hope and potential, but for us it is just the beginning of realising our life, dreams, hopes and potential in Christ.
2 What hope produces(6-10)Paul is not revising theology so that they can get an A* in an exam on a Christian attitude to death, he is reminding them because it affects how we live. We see with the “Therefore”(6) some implications of this.
a. Confident in living life by faith – Believers don’t need to be wavering and fearful in the face of suffering, illness or even death itself, instead we can be confident because we know that this is not all there is. The Corinthians had an over realised view of life now – they thought all the blessings of Christ’s return were theirs now. So suffering, ageing, illness, persecution, and death rocked their confidence and caused them to question. But we can be confident in our hope because “as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.” In this life we will experience outward decay, persecution, hardship, trouble, illness and death, it is normal Christian experience because our hope isn’t in this world but the next(4:7-12).
This understanding liberates us to live by faith, not by sight. We may look at our lives and see hardship, struggle and decay but we know that inwardly we are being renewed and fitted for an eternal glory that outweighs our momentary troubles. In the face of life’s strife and struggles we are confident – unshaken, anchored and secure – of our future so much so that we want to be with our Saviour.
So as we are persecuted we aren’t asking God what he is doing because his people should not experience persecution, but we know resurrection realities aren’t ours yet, but he is preparing us for them. As we feel the ageing and decay of our bodies we are not obsessed by it and rail against it but know what our future is. As we face death we know that it is a conquered and vanquished enemy, for us as believers we are simply falling asleep in Christ.
b. Assured and aware – Believers are assured of their future secure in Christ and it has an impact on how they live. They are to live with an awareness of Christ’s return and therefore live out their faith. Christ is coming again and we look forward to it but we do not sit on our hands as we wait for it.
The doctrine of the resurrection is to reassure us in suffering and produce in us lives that please him. It is not to produce a complacency that simply rests on having a ticket to the gig. (5:21)Believers are saved by faith Christ alone but that faith is expressed in love and obedience.
We are to live now aware of then, living to please the one who gave everything for us. How do we please him? (11)We persuade others, we live differently(6:3-13), we pursue holiness(7:1), we repent over our sins(7:10), we display our hope for all to see.
It does not produce saints so preoccupied with this world that they give no thought of the next, but neither does it produce saints so heavenly minded they are of no earthly use. Instead it produces a people captured by the prospect of their glory so wonderfully secured by God’s grace in Jesus that they live out their hope even in the face of suffering and liberated from the fear of death!
In Corinth the gospel was under threat because the church in had too much of Corinth in it. In society they prized power, charisma, personality, and speaking skills and the church adopted the values of society. It led to misunderstandings about where and when they live – they thought they had already arrived, that the blessings of the kingdom come were to be theirs now! And so as they look at Paul who is hard pressed, beaten, persecuted and arrested they questioned his ministry – can he really be an apostle if he’s suffering, where is the power in his life? And crucially it means that when they experience difficulty, persecution, and hardship they will be rocked to their foundations.
Paul confronts this head spending ch1-7 defending his gospel ministry and seeking to correct their misunderstandings. As we come to ch5 Paul has been explaining how the believers hope is not realised now. Now we experience suffering (4:7-18)our physical bodies are decaying and wasting away, but our hope is not in now, it’s not in our physical well being or freedom from persecution or infirmity, it is(4:16-18) in our future. Suffering and wasting away now prepare us for glory when Christ returns and we receive our eternal glory, and the implications are massive because it affects what we value. Believers value inward renewal not outward appearance(16), believers value the future over the present(17), and believers value the unseen over what is seen(18).
Our future is eternal and glorious even if now we experience suffering, ageing and hardship. Paul’s teaching in chapter 5 builds on this. In (1-5)Paul reminds them of what they know, before in (6-10)applying that to their attitude and living.
1. What we knowHow does the world think of death? How does that show itself in society? How do believers think counter culturally?
George Bernard Shaw wrote: ‘Death is the ultimate statistic: one in one dies.’ Yet the world buries that, it denies that reality in the way it lives, it seeks to disprove it in the never ending groping of science to prolong life. Death is the great enemy! And we want to say yes death is the great enemy, it’s the ultimate consequence of sin. But Paul reminds believrs death is not the unconquerable end of hope for the believer.
(1)Paul begins “For we know” because he is reminding them of what they have already been taught. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 – read it. Paul here reminds them of what he has already taught them – death is not the unconquerable enemy, death is the conquered enemy. He reminds them that our hope is not in this life but in life beyond death, in fact it is in resurrection life because Christ’s people are resurrection people. Our hope is eternal glory which outweighs all the struggles and sufferings of this present life.
As he reminds them of what they know about hope, glory, death and resurrection Paul uses different metaphors.
a. Earthly tent v Eternal house(1)Paul begins with a compare and contrast metaphor of an earthly tent, our bodies and an eternal house, our resurrection bodies.
The body is like a tent in that it is temporary and will one day be taken down – in other words we will die. But believers do not despair because **what do we have? A building from God and it’s more secure, more substantial, permanent, heavenly and eternal, it won’t be subject to wear and tear, it won’t suffer or be taken down.
It’s a brilliant image isn’t it? If I offered you the choice; live in a tent or a house which would you choose? House, why? Security, safety, permanence, comfort and so on.
Death may claim our tent – our temporary residence but it will not claim us. In fact our hope is not in the world it will only be realised after death. Death does not signify the end of hope for believers but a doorway to hope.
b. New clothes(2-4)
**Paul uses a second image, what is it? Clothing. Knowing what we know – that this body is temporary and God has prepared for us a resurrection body that will be glorious and eternal we “groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling”. In anticipation we long to put on our resurrection bodies because the bodies we have now aren’t perfect, in them we experience suffering and are subject to the decay of living in a sin sick world. We want to put on our resurrection bodies not so we can live in them here and now but because they will mean that we are enjoying eternal glory with God.
Believers are not afraid of death, though we may have a fear of how we die. Death is not the end we know that and we trust God. But neither do Christians have a death wish, it is not that we long to die and be done with this world. No, our longing is a positive one we long to experience all the joys and wonders of relationship with God fully realised in the new creation when the perishable is clothed with imperishable and when Christ’s victory is realised at his return – when our longing for God’s glory to be fully and universal known is fulfilled.
Believers long for our resurrection life when Christ has returned and everything is united under him.
c. Our Guarantee of life(5)But how can we be sure? (5)God has made us for this purpose through the gospel(5:17), he has made us for life eternal and we have the deposit – the Holy Spirit living in us.
Imagine I put down a deposit of £500 on a new car over the internet. **What does that deposit say to the dealer? I am coming to get that car, it will be mine and I have made a considerable investment in it so it is kept for me. It promises that I will pay for it in full and take possession of it.
So it is with the Holy Spirit, at the point of conversion the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people as a deposit of what will come. He is the downpayment – a partial experience of what our true glorified and realised relationship with God will be like so that we are certain of its reality. It’s a taster and a promissory sign that what God has begun he will complete, what he has promised he will make good. He works in us to renew and remake us day by day as a sure and certain sign that we are being renewed and fitted for a purpose – resurrection and being with God.
Our current life is not our hope, our current bodies are not all that we are. Our hope is in resurrection bodies fitted and glorified to spend eternity with the God of glory. And we know it is our certain future therefore death is a beaten enemy and we do not fear death because we know it has no hold on us.
The world views death as the ultimate tragedy, an end to all life, dreams, hope and potential, but for us it is just the beginning of realising our life, dreams, hopes and potential in Christ.
2 What hope produces(6-10)Paul is not revising theology so that they can get an A* in an exam on a Christian attitude to death, he is reminding them because it affects how we live. We see with the “Therefore”(6) some implications of this.
a. Confident in living life by faith – Believers don’t need to be wavering and fearful in the face of suffering, illness or even death itself, instead we can be confident because we know that this is not all there is. The Corinthians had an over realised view of life now – they thought all the blessings of Christ’s return were theirs now. So suffering, ageing, illness, persecution, and death rocked their confidence and caused them to question. But we can be confident in our hope because “as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.” In this life we will experience outward decay, persecution, hardship, trouble, illness and death, it is normal Christian experience because our hope isn’t in this world but the next(4:7-12).
This understanding liberates us to live by faith, not by sight. We may look at our lives and see hardship, struggle and decay but we know that inwardly we are being renewed and fitted for an eternal glory that outweighs our momentary troubles. In the face of life’s strife and struggles we are confident – unshaken, anchored and secure – of our future so much so that we want to be with our Saviour.
So as we are persecuted we aren’t asking God what he is doing because his people should not experience persecution, but we know resurrection realities aren’t ours yet, but he is preparing us for them. As we feel the ageing and decay of our bodies we are not obsessed by it and rail against it but know what our future is. As we face death we know that it is a conquered and vanquished enemy, for us as believers we are simply falling asleep in Christ.
b. Assured and aware – Believers are assured of their future secure in Christ and it has an impact on how they live. They are to live with an awareness of Christ’s return and therefore live out their faith. Christ is coming again and we look forward to it but we do not sit on our hands as we wait for it.
The doctrine of the resurrection is to reassure us in suffering and produce in us lives that please him. It is not to produce a complacency that simply rests on having a ticket to the gig. (5:21)Believers are saved by faith Christ alone but that faith is expressed in love and obedience.
We are to live now aware of then, living to please the one who gave everything for us. How do we please him? (11)We persuade others, we live differently(6:3-13), we pursue holiness(7:1), we repent over our sins(7:10), we display our hope for all to see.
It does not produce saints so preoccupied with this world that they give no thought of the next, but neither does it produce saints so heavenly minded they are of no earthly use. Instead it produces a people captured by the prospect of their glory so wonderfully secured by God’s grace in Jesus that they live out their hope even in the face of suffering and liberated from the fear of death!
Thursday, 9 December 2010
The Masculine Mandate
This book was reviewed in this months briefing and I can't wait to get it, I was hoping to order it in bulk for church but haven't been able to yet, however Amazon have it available now and it is in my astore link.Richard Phillips the author says that, “Rather than following the American stereotype of cold, macho masculinity, Christian men should seek to grow in their ability genuinely to bless others.” He points to this mandate in Genesis 2, which "shows that God created man for a purpose. God ordained that Adam would bear His image both in his person and in his work, and God put Adam in the world to work it and keep it—to be a cultivator and a protector.”
Men today, like Adam, are called to “work” and “keep.” “God put Adam in the garden ‘to work it and keep it’ and the only difference between Adam’s calling and ours lies in the details of how we seek to fulfill it.”
Phillips concentrates on five: employment, marriage, children, friends, and the church. I'm ordering my copy today and I'll be reviewing it in the coming weeks, it has however, been tagged by some as the best book on Christian manhood.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Putting Hebrews into practice
We were thinking yesterday about how we serve God, one way we saw from a brief foray into Hebrews 13 was to pray for and support brothers and sisters in prison. This morning in the side bar link to other blogs was a post from Mark Meynell about a believer from their church in London who was arrested on a return visit to Egypt on the death of his father. Follow this link: http://markmeynell.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/release-sherif-hassan-detained-in-egypt-because-of-his-faith/
Why not pray for Sherif right now and then write to your MP on his behalf, you can even use the website www.writetothem.com which finds your MP and enables you to email them.
Why not pray for Sherif right now and then write to your MP on his behalf, you can even use the website www.writetothem.com which finds your MP and enables you to email them.
Friday, 19 November 2010
The Christian and IVF
Infertility affects 1in7 couples in the UK . After pregnancy infertility is one of the reasons why women most commonly visit their GP. Many of these couples will seek some form of treatment for their infertility. How is a Christian to respond to infertility? What are the ethics of IVF? Are all treatments equally valid? What about where there is third party involvement (e.g. surrogacy or sperm donation)? Should we seek to have children by any and every means?
But there is also the community side of infertility, how do churches care for those struggling with infertility? What do we say to those struggling with these issue, are there do’s and don’ts?
In this article we are going to explore some of those issues, it is no sense designed to be exhaustive but it will hopeful get us thinking. But before we begin on the subject proper it is worth standing back and thinking about how we reach ethical decisions. There are a number of ways people determine their ethical approach; gut feeling – it feels right, emotional response – it makes me feel good, conscience – But I don’t feel guilty therefore…, consensus – It’s what most people do, consequential – It gives the best outcome, authority – it’s what so and so says, reason – its logical, and relativism – there is no right and wrong just individuals. We all have these somewhere in our thinking, but as Christians the challenge is to think Christianly about these things!
Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we need transformed minds so we aren’t conformed to the world’s way of thinking making decisions based on the above. Instead the believer is to have a transformed mind, so that they know what God’s will is. Thinking Christianly means thinking God’s thoughts after him.
There are 2 key questions to ask: 1. What would God have me do? 2. How would he have me do it? The answer to these is found in the Bible.
Basic building blocks
How we think of the world is key, the Bible reminds us of 4 key things which will affect our thinking:
Creation: the world was perfect, man was in God’s image
Fall: the world we live in bears the consequences of rebellion, this affects everything in it and throws up the ethical dilemma and affects our ability to make moral choices
Redemption: Jesus Christ comes to redeem us from sin, and calls us to repent and follow him.
2nd Coming: We are to live in the light of eternity, judgement and new creation.
A principled approach
There is a danger of looking for proof texts in the Bible, instead we are better to look for a rounded biblical approach, what does the whole bible reveal about this issue and God’s view of it?
However, the Bible is not searchable by index on these issues instead we need to look for the enduring principles. “Theology and ethics are inseparable in the Bible. You cannot understand how and why Israelites or Christians lived as they did until you see how and why they believed as they did.” C Wright
Fundamental to all Christian ethics is the summary of the law which Jesus gives us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Ethical decisions cannot be viewed coldly and dispassionately, each decision is an opportunity to reveal our love for God and for those in the situation.
So back to IVF.
Beginning at the beginning
In Genesis we clearly see that God gives to Adam and Eve a command to fill the earth and subdue it “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” . However with the fall the fertility and security that have been features of God’s good world governed according to his word come to an end.
Infertility is one of the many frustrations which result from the fall about which we read in the Bible. Key characters like Abraham and Sarah experience infertility and we see the heartbreak and pain that go with it in characters such as Hannah . Infertility is something that is a cause of great heartache and grief and if the bible is honest and open about it so ought we to be. In the Bible God overcomes infertility in the two cases mentioned above, part of the overcoming now rests in the hands of medicine.
The Bible commends having children but at the same time does not say that you are somehow incomplete without them. And as people and churches we want to reflect this teaching in the way we react to and speak about it.
Infertility is the result of sin and living in a broken world and it is immensely painful for those involved.
So what about IVF?
The difficulty here is that there are no exact passages that deal with such a process. So where do we turn?
Firstly we need to discern what issues IVF raises.
When is a baby a baby? The Bible is clear that at the moment of conception life begins . In IVF hormones are given to induce over ovulation so lots of eggs can be harvested, as many of these eggs will be fertilised as possible, from these it is hoped to have a large selection of embryos from which to select the most robust to implant. Each of those embryos is a life.
However here other issues arise:
How many eggs do you have fertilised? Often only one will be implanted at a time, others will be frozen with an 85% survival rate, for implantation later if required/desired. Is freezing ethically OK?
What about ‘abnormal embryos’? If an egg fertilises abnormally or is deemed to be weak (cell division hasn’t reached 50%) often clinics will suggest such embryo’s are discarded. With a biblical view on when life begins such things are unconscionable.
There are other issues which we do not have space to examine or even begin thinking about: what about sperm or egg donation? What about surrogacy?
IVF is a very difficult process for those embarking on it. So how should the church community support couples looking at the process.
Understand their suffering – to have a longing to have children and be unable to fulfil it brings with it all sorts of complex feelings and reactions; guilt, blame, and inadequacy to mention a few. However for some it throws up other question; why? Why hasn’t God answered my prayers? Understanding this will enable us to love and support couples as they go through this painful trial.
Things not to say – ‘You shouldn’t question God!’, ‘ I’m sure God will give you children in his time.’ ‘ I know someone who...’ ‘Just don’t think about it...’ There are lots of other things that are said in a well meaning way but which fail to recognise the struggle or the pain involved.
What to say – Listen and empathise, listening is underrated and therefore underemployed. Infertility is not something we can solve or fix but we can listen to those suffering. Treat the individual(s) as whole people, they are not defined by their infertility. Pray for and with the person – pray that they would trust God, that he would be very real to them, pray for contentment. Be sensitive and helpful about when and where you spend time with them.
But there is also the community side of infertility, how do churches care for those struggling with infertility? What do we say to those struggling with these issue, are there do’s and don’ts?
In this article we are going to explore some of those issues, it is no sense designed to be exhaustive but it will hopeful get us thinking. But before we begin on the subject proper it is worth standing back and thinking about how we reach ethical decisions. There are a number of ways people determine their ethical approach; gut feeling – it feels right, emotional response – it makes me feel good, conscience – But I don’t feel guilty therefore…, consensus – It’s what most people do, consequential – It gives the best outcome, authority – it’s what so and so says, reason – its logical, and relativism – there is no right and wrong just individuals. We all have these somewhere in our thinking, but as Christians the challenge is to think Christianly about these things!
Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we need transformed minds so we aren’t conformed to the world’s way of thinking making decisions based on the above. Instead the believer is to have a transformed mind, so that they know what God’s will is. Thinking Christianly means thinking God’s thoughts after him.
There are 2 key questions to ask: 1. What would God have me do? 2. How would he have me do it? The answer to these is found in the Bible.
Basic building blocks
How we think of the world is key, the Bible reminds us of 4 key things which will affect our thinking:
Creation: the world was perfect, man was in God’s image
Fall: the world we live in bears the consequences of rebellion, this affects everything in it and throws up the ethical dilemma and affects our ability to make moral choices
Redemption: Jesus Christ comes to redeem us from sin, and calls us to repent and follow him.
2nd Coming: We are to live in the light of eternity, judgement and new creation.
A principled approach
There is a danger of looking for proof texts in the Bible, instead we are better to look for a rounded biblical approach, what does the whole bible reveal about this issue and God’s view of it?
However, the Bible is not searchable by index on these issues instead we need to look for the enduring principles. “Theology and ethics are inseparable in the Bible. You cannot understand how and why Israelites or Christians lived as they did until you see how and why they believed as they did.” C Wright
Fundamental to all Christian ethics is the summary of the law which Jesus gives us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Ethical decisions cannot be viewed coldly and dispassionately, each decision is an opportunity to reveal our love for God and for those in the situation.
So back to IVF.
Beginning at the beginning
In Genesis we clearly see that God gives to Adam and Eve a command to fill the earth and subdue it “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” . However with the fall the fertility and security that have been features of God’s good world governed according to his word come to an end.
Infertility is one of the many frustrations which result from the fall about which we read in the Bible. Key characters like Abraham and Sarah experience infertility and we see the heartbreak and pain that go with it in characters such as Hannah . Infertility is something that is a cause of great heartache and grief and if the bible is honest and open about it so ought we to be. In the Bible God overcomes infertility in the two cases mentioned above, part of the overcoming now rests in the hands of medicine.
The Bible commends having children but at the same time does not say that you are somehow incomplete without them. And as people and churches we want to reflect this teaching in the way we react to and speak about it.
Infertility is the result of sin and living in a broken world and it is immensely painful for those involved.
So what about IVF?
The difficulty here is that there are no exact passages that deal with such a process. So where do we turn?
Firstly we need to discern what issues IVF raises.
When is a baby a baby? The Bible is clear that at the moment of conception life begins . In IVF hormones are given to induce over ovulation so lots of eggs can be harvested, as many of these eggs will be fertilised as possible, from these it is hoped to have a large selection of embryos from which to select the most robust to implant. Each of those embryos is a life.
However here other issues arise:
How many eggs do you have fertilised? Often only one will be implanted at a time, others will be frozen with an 85% survival rate, for implantation later if required/desired. Is freezing ethically OK?
What about ‘abnormal embryos’? If an egg fertilises abnormally or is deemed to be weak (cell division hasn’t reached 50%) often clinics will suggest such embryo’s are discarded. With a biblical view on when life begins such things are unconscionable.
There are other issues which we do not have space to examine or even begin thinking about: what about sperm or egg donation? What about surrogacy?
IVF is a very difficult process for those embarking on it. So how should the church community support couples looking at the process.
Understand their suffering – to have a longing to have children and be unable to fulfil it brings with it all sorts of complex feelings and reactions; guilt, blame, and inadequacy to mention a few. However for some it throws up other question; why? Why hasn’t God answered my prayers? Understanding this will enable us to love and support couples as they go through this painful trial.
Things not to say – ‘You shouldn’t question God!’, ‘ I’m sure God will give you children in his time.’ ‘ I know someone who...’ ‘Just don’t think about it...’ There are lots of other things that are said in a well meaning way but which fail to recognise the struggle or the pain involved.
What to say – Listen and empathise, listening is underrated and therefore underemployed. Infertility is not something we can solve or fix but we can listen to those suffering. Treat the individual(s) as whole people, they are not defined by their infertility. Pray for and with the person – pray that they would trust God, that he would be very real to them, pray for contentment. Be sensitive and helpful about when and where you spend time with them.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Are we too comfy?
How do we think of the society that we live in? We were looking yesterday at Acts 17 and the planting of the Thessalonian church in the midst of adversity and opposition. There is no doubt in Acts 17 about the hostility of the reaction as the Jews left in the synagogue react to the threat of the gospel by causing a riot and accusing the Christians of social unrest and sedition. There is no doubt that the gospel is the enemy of the world.
Then yesterday evening we were looking at 1 Peter 1 and gaining a feel for its setting. Fascinatingly as you read through the book you realise that the suffering they are undergoing is not physical but it is ostracism, social alienation and malicious accusations. And Peter writes to remind them of who they are, whose they are, and where they live - the are God's people strangers living in exile in a hostile world.
Both passages challenged us about how we thought of ourselves and the world around us. If we view this world as home we will live for its dreams, share its values and norms. But if we recognise this world for the hostile environment it is - not necessarily hostile physically towards us but certainly hostile to the intolerance of the gospel and - hostile to our being and living as God's holy, set apart, redeemed people then we will not share in its values, norms and desires.
Is the church, are we, am I too similar to the world because I have failed to grasp these fundamental truths?
Then yesterday evening we were looking at 1 Peter 1 and gaining a feel for its setting. Fascinatingly as you read through the book you realise that the suffering they are undergoing is not physical but it is ostracism, social alienation and malicious accusations. And Peter writes to remind them of who they are, whose they are, and where they live - the are God's people strangers living in exile in a hostile world.
Both passages challenged us about how we thought of ourselves and the world around us. If we view this world as home we will live for its dreams, share its values and norms. But if we recognise this world for the hostile environment it is - not necessarily hostile physically towards us but certainly hostile to the intolerance of the gospel and - hostile to our being and living as God's holy, set apart, redeemed people then we will not share in its values, norms and desires.
Is the church, are we, am I too similar to the world because I have failed to grasp these fundamental truths?
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
The Christian and Gambling
Some time ago I was asked these three questions: What is a Biblical response to gambling? Where in the Bible would you turn and why? Is it right for a Christian to buy a lottery ticket? Why?
I was reminded this week of the sheer scale of gambling in our society. In the UK 70% of the population are reported to gamble regularly (including the National lottery, just shy of 50% if you don't include that). In the last 20 years of the last century the amount of money lost gambling doubled.
So what is a Christian response to gambling?
Firstly we need to define gambling, here's how the Dictionary of Christian Ethics does so:
“Gambling is the determination of the possession of money, or money-value, by and appeal to an artificially created chance. Where the gains of the winner are made at the expense of the losers and the gain is secured without rendering in service or in value an equivalent of the gains obtained.”
Rather than simply write down my thoughts I want to look at a number of texts and simply help us ask questions of our hearts.
Exodus 20 - The ten commandments would call us to ask some serious questions of gambling: is my gambling idolatry? Is it stealing? Is it covetous?
Luke 10:27 - How does it fit with the command to love your neighbour as yourself?
Matt 6:19-34 - Is it serving money rather than God?
Ephesians 4:28 - How does it fit with actions of new self in Christ?
Genesis 1:28 - What is man made for? How does gambling reflect this?
I Thessalonians 3:6-15 - How should believers live?
I Tim 6:6-10, 17-19 - What are the marks of godliness?
A good question to ask is what is the purpose of gambling? What is it you are seeking to do as you place that bet or buy that lottery ticket? What are you longing for and hoping to be able to rely on?
At root my conviction is that people gamble because they are covetous - they want what someone else has.
I was reminded this week of the sheer scale of gambling in our society. In the UK 70% of the population are reported to gamble regularly (including the National lottery, just shy of 50% if you don't include that). In the last 20 years of the last century the amount of money lost gambling doubled.
So what is a Christian response to gambling?
Firstly we need to define gambling, here's how the Dictionary of Christian Ethics does so:
“Gambling is the determination of the possession of money, or money-value, by and appeal to an artificially created chance. Where the gains of the winner are made at the expense of the losers and the gain is secured without rendering in service or in value an equivalent of the gains obtained.”
Rather than simply write down my thoughts I want to look at a number of texts and simply help us ask questions of our hearts.
Exodus 20 - The ten commandments would call us to ask some serious questions of gambling: is my gambling idolatry? Is it stealing? Is it covetous?
Luke 10:27 - How does it fit with the command to love your neighbour as yourself?
Matt 6:19-34 - Is it serving money rather than God?
Ephesians 4:28 - How does it fit with actions of new self in Christ?
Genesis 1:28 - What is man made for? How does gambling reflect this?
I Thessalonians 3:6-15 - How should believers live?
I Tim 6:6-10, 17-19 - What are the marks of godliness?
A good question to ask is what is the purpose of gambling? What is it you are seeking to do as you place that bet or buy that lottery ticket? What are you longing for and hoping to be able to rely on?
At root my conviction is that people gamble because they are covetous - they want what someone else has.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
The Christian and ethics
Last night was the last in our series on The Christian and... We looked at ethics, how we make decisions about what is right and wrong and how we convey those decisions to those around us.
How we come to hold the views we hold
Part of our struggle as believers is that often our stance on ethical issues is influences by one or all or some of the following:
- Gut feeling – it feels right
- Emotional response – it makes me feel good
- Conscience – But I don’t feel guilty therefore…
- Consensus – It’s what most people do
- Consequences – It gives the best outcome
- Authority – Its what so and so says
- Reason – its logical
- Relativism – There is no right and wrong just individuals
All of us have these somewhere in our thinking, the challenge for us as Christians is to think Biblically about these things. To recognise the part each of the above plays and then challenge ourselves with the Bible. So how do we think Christianly about these things?
Romans 12:1-2
We need transformed minds so we aren’t conformed to the world’s way of thinking, making decisions based on the above. Instead the believer is to have a transformed mind, so that they know what God’s will is. Thinking Christianly means thinking God’s thoughts after him.
There are 2 key questions to ask: 1. What would God have me do? 2. How would he have me do it?
The answer to these is found in the Bible. There are some basic building blocks, how we think of the world is key:
- Creation – the world was perfect, man is made in God’s image
- Fall – the world is now living with consequences of rebellion, this affects our ability to make moral choices
- Redemption – Christ comes to redeem us from sin, and calls us to repent and follow him.
- 2nd Coming – We are to live in the light of eternity, judgement and new creation.
Thinking Biblically means taking a principled approach
There is a danger of looking for proof texts in the Bible We are better to look for a rounded biblical approach. What does the whole bible reveal about this issue and God’s view of it?However, the Bible is not search able by index on these issues instead we need to look for the enduring principles.
“Theology and ethics are inseparable in the Bible. You cannot understand how and why Israelites or Christians lived as they did until you see how and why they believed as they did.” C Wright.
Fundamental to all Christian ethics is the summary of the law which Jesus gives us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbour as yourself.” Ethical decisions cannot be viewed coldly and dispassionately, each decision is an opportunity to reveal our love for God and for those in the situation.
We must be aware of 3 dangers:
- Situationism – Highest principle is love your neighbour.
- Antinomianism – we live grace not moral law.
- Legalism – we obey law but without love.
We then went on to discuss and thrash out what this would mean in a number of areas which I may post later. I think overall God confronted us with how often we settle for a partial understanding of the Bible and blend it with our gut feeling or emotional response or any other factor. The challenge was to be more biblical in our thinking.
Secondly, we were aware that how we answer people is key. Am I loving God by answering according to his word and loving my neighbour in the way I answer. It left us with much to repent of.
Monday, 16 February 2009
The Christian and Money - Part 4
Implications
So having looked at what the Bible has to say about money we need to work out what this means for us. The first thing is straight forward but is foundational to everything that follows. Everything we have is Gods given to us to use for his glory. This means that being wealthy is not wrong, but that it also isn’t a sign of being right with God. And the inverse is true, being poor is not wrong neither is it a sign of not being right with God.
Secondly; what we do with what God gives us is what matters, we are to be those who use wealth with a view to eternity. This means that no matter what economic sphere we move in we will stand out among our neighbours. This Christian millionaire uses his or her money differently, as does the Christian struggling on benefits or a low income. In the early church we see that this love is worked out by alleviating the poverty of others, helping out when there is a need we can meet.
Should we tithe? In Luke 11:42 Jesus doesn’t say it’s wrong to tithe, as he deals with the Pharisees he approves of there tithing but calls them to additionally meet needs of justice and love that they come across. What Jesus attacks is not their giving of tithes but their failure to love others and seek justice as well as giving tithes.
If God gives us everything giving back 10% is actually economically a good deal. If on the other hand we regard it ours then it is more difficult. The Bible consistently tells us that giving is a privilege and we need to learn to view it as such. Giving tithes is not a rigid rule, nowhere is that expectation set out in the New Testament, but it is not condemned either. For some of us maybe it would be a good starting point to help us think about what we value and whether we are living for now or in the light of eternity. Though for some it would be impossible for many of us we are in a position to give much more.
One denomination worked out if each of its members lost their jobs and became unemployed and then each gave 10% of the benefits they received the churches giving would go up by £1 per head on average.
Fourthly the Bible would warn us about greed, that the love of money is a real danger in our society should come as no surprise to us. We need to learn to adjust our thinking to need not greed. It is also helpful to look at what our needs our, we are so moulded by our culture that often what we need is the result of advertising and assumptions based on the lives of those we live alongside rather than on Biblical principles. We need to evaluate our needs in the light of the Bible.
The way to stay free of it is to give money away. The Bible would encourage us to be generous with what God has given us to invest for him. We can do this if we live with an eye on the future. 1 Timothy would teach is that in our giving we need to ensure that we do not to become a burden on others, that we are providing for our families health and safety, and that can continue to do good by exercising hospitality and the like.
For many of us in the West the biggest challenge come sin the area of assessing our need and thinking beyond the Pharisees, to go beyond tithe if we can. What drives us is not the calculator but the cross where God gave his all for us.
So having looked at what the Bible has to say about money we need to work out what this means for us. The first thing is straight forward but is foundational to everything that follows. Everything we have is Gods given to us to use for his glory. This means that being wealthy is not wrong, but that it also isn’t a sign of being right with God. And the inverse is true, being poor is not wrong neither is it a sign of not being right with God.
Secondly; what we do with what God gives us is what matters, we are to be those who use wealth with a view to eternity. This means that no matter what economic sphere we move in we will stand out among our neighbours. This Christian millionaire uses his or her money differently, as does the Christian struggling on benefits or a low income. In the early church we see that this love is worked out by alleviating the poverty of others, helping out when there is a need we can meet.
Should we tithe? In Luke 11:42 Jesus doesn’t say it’s wrong to tithe, as he deals with the Pharisees he approves of there tithing but calls them to additionally meet needs of justice and love that they come across. What Jesus attacks is not their giving of tithes but their failure to love others and seek justice as well as giving tithes.
If God gives us everything giving back 10% is actually economically a good deal. If on the other hand we regard it ours then it is more difficult. The Bible consistently tells us that giving is a privilege and we need to learn to view it as such. Giving tithes is not a rigid rule, nowhere is that expectation set out in the New Testament, but it is not condemned either. For some of us maybe it would be a good starting point to help us think about what we value and whether we are living for now or in the light of eternity. Though for some it would be impossible for many of us we are in a position to give much more.
One denomination worked out if each of its members lost their jobs and became unemployed and then each gave 10% of the benefits they received the churches giving would go up by £1 per head on average.
Fourthly the Bible would warn us about greed, that the love of money is a real danger in our society should come as no surprise to us. We need to learn to adjust our thinking to need not greed. It is also helpful to look at what our needs our, we are so moulded by our culture that often what we need is the result of advertising and assumptions based on the lives of those we live alongside rather than on Biblical principles. We need to evaluate our needs in the light of the Bible.
The way to stay free of it is to give money away. The Bible would encourage us to be generous with what God has given us to invest for him. We can do this if we live with an eye on the future. 1 Timothy would teach is that in our giving we need to ensure that we do not to become a burden on others, that we are providing for our families health and safety, and that can continue to do good by exercising hospitality and the like.
For many of us in the West the biggest challenge come sin the area of assessing our need and thinking beyond the Pharisees, to go beyond tithe if we can. What drives us is not the calculator but the cross where God gave his all for us.
The Christian and Money - Part 3
The Gospel and Money
The Sermon on Mount is teaching for believers, it is extended teaching about the values of the kingdom. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus says that being in the kingdom, knowing God by grace liberates the believer from worry and anxiety. We’re freed from keeping up with the Joneses, from earning security and status for ourselves because we are given security in Christ, and relationship with God as our Father.
In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul clearly teaches that we are to provide for our families, he says that not to do so makes us worse than an unbeliever. We trust God to provide and recognise his provision is found in the position in which he has put us. In Chapter 6:6-10 Paul exhorts Timothy to be godly, reminding him that he is saved for contentment, that the believer lives with the awareness that we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. That realisation should free us from the hoarding mentality. In contrast Paul calls him to be content with food and clothing (8).
Such Contentment is radically COUNTER CULTURAL, especially as we live in a world which bombards us with advertising whose very aim is to make us discontent, to make us want something which we do not have, to make us feel like we need it and must have it. Yet Paul calls Timothy to be content with food and clothing as part of radical discipleship. Are we content? At root the issue is to recognise what my real needs are. Do I need sky TV? – no, do I need a 60” Plasma? – no. None of those things is wrong to possess in and of themselves but they are not needs. Not to have them does not mean God is not meeting my needs. We can and must learn to be content without them.
In 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 Paul calls on the Corinthians to give to alleviate the needs of fellow believer’s elsewhere. His instructions are telling, he does not demand a set figure of them he does not set a total and send them a big wooden thermometer with gradations up the side and a tin of paint to mark their progress. As he exhorts them to give and give generously it is grace that calls them to give. God has been generous to them and to us and they and we mirror the love and generosity shown to us supremely in Jesus Christ.
Having been made God’s children by his grace and mercy we adopt the fathers values. This means that we love God with all our heart, soul, strength and love our neighbours as ourselves. This love will inevitably impact what we do with our money. See a need meet a need. Tellingly it is lack of love for God shown in lack of love for others that leads Amos and other prophets to make known God’s stinging rebuke to the people of Israel for their failure to provide for the poor and willingness to trample the weak.
As Gospel people we mirror gospel attitudes, God held nothing back from me therefore I hold nothing back from him.
The question is how can we live like this?
In Luke 16 Jesus tells the parable of The Shrewd Manager. This man knows he is going to lose his job so he radically cuts the debts of those who are debtors to his master (v3-4). The shock in the passage is the way this man is treated by his soon to be former boss. His master commends him (v8). We need to recognise what it is he is commended for, he is not commended for dishonesty, he is not commended for being righteous but he is commended for “dealing shrewdly”. In other words this man sees the future and acts accordingly.
The call (v9) is to see the future and act now in light of it. It means that we are to use what God gives us with an eye on eternity. What we do with what God gives us reveals where our heart and hopes really lay. And (v13) makes it clear that we either serve God OR Money. The impossible application of that is to say that I am the one exception who can serve both God and money, but we would never make that impossible application would we.
How can we live as the gospel calls us to do with our money and possessions, recognising God has given them to us but that they are ours to steward for God’s glory and in the light of grace? We recognise that we are to live now in the light of eternity.
The Sermon on Mount is teaching for believers, it is extended teaching about the values of the kingdom. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus says that being in the kingdom, knowing God by grace liberates the believer from worry and anxiety. We’re freed from keeping up with the Joneses, from earning security and status for ourselves because we are given security in Christ, and relationship with God as our Father.
In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul clearly teaches that we are to provide for our families, he says that not to do so makes us worse than an unbeliever. We trust God to provide and recognise his provision is found in the position in which he has put us. In Chapter 6:6-10 Paul exhorts Timothy to be godly, reminding him that he is saved for contentment, that the believer lives with the awareness that we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. That realisation should free us from the hoarding mentality. In contrast Paul calls him to be content with food and clothing (8).
Such Contentment is radically COUNTER CULTURAL, especially as we live in a world which bombards us with advertising whose very aim is to make us discontent, to make us want something which we do not have, to make us feel like we need it and must have it. Yet Paul calls Timothy to be content with food and clothing as part of radical discipleship. Are we content? At root the issue is to recognise what my real needs are. Do I need sky TV? – no, do I need a 60” Plasma? – no. None of those things is wrong to possess in and of themselves but they are not needs. Not to have them does not mean God is not meeting my needs. We can and must learn to be content without them.
In 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 Paul calls on the Corinthians to give to alleviate the needs of fellow believer’s elsewhere. His instructions are telling, he does not demand a set figure of them he does not set a total and send them a big wooden thermometer with gradations up the side and a tin of paint to mark their progress. As he exhorts them to give and give generously it is grace that calls them to give. God has been generous to them and to us and they and we mirror the love and generosity shown to us supremely in Jesus Christ.
Having been made God’s children by his grace and mercy we adopt the fathers values. This means that we love God with all our heart, soul, strength and love our neighbours as ourselves. This love will inevitably impact what we do with our money. See a need meet a need. Tellingly it is lack of love for God shown in lack of love for others that leads Amos and other prophets to make known God’s stinging rebuke to the people of Israel for their failure to provide for the poor and willingness to trample the weak.
As Gospel people we mirror gospel attitudes, God held nothing back from me therefore I hold nothing back from him.
The question is how can we live like this?
In Luke 16 Jesus tells the parable of The Shrewd Manager. This man knows he is going to lose his job so he radically cuts the debts of those who are debtors to his master (v3-4). The shock in the passage is the way this man is treated by his soon to be former boss. His master commends him (v8). We need to recognise what it is he is commended for, he is not commended for dishonesty, he is not commended for being righteous but he is commended for “dealing shrewdly”. In other words this man sees the future and acts accordingly.
The call (v9) is to see the future and act now in light of it. It means that we are to use what God gives us with an eye on eternity. What we do with what God gives us reveals where our heart and hopes really lay. And (v13) makes it clear that we either serve God OR Money. The impossible application of that is to say that I am the one exception who can serve both God and money, but we would never make that impossible application would we.
How can we live as the gospel calls us to do with our money and possessions, recognising God has given them to us but that they are ours to steward for God’s glory and in the light of grace? We recognise that we are to live now in the light of eternity.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The Christian and Money Part 2
Sin and Money
Having said that possession and material things are created and given by God for our good and for us to enjoy in thankfulness in Genesis 3 we see that along with all of creation money and possessions are affected by fall. They are now part of the world which is under the curse and is dislocated in terms of relationship with God and how we view it.
That is why the tenth Commandment is “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” One consequence of the fall is that instead of enjoying material things we are in danger of becoming enslaved by them. They are now a rival to God and his place in our affections.
The dangers of money enslaving us are emphasized in the parables that Jesus tells. Warnings are also found in Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:3 where believers are told to put greed to death, and that there is not to be even a hint of it in the church.
We need to be aware that as Christians greed is a very real danger for us. In fact so blind are we to greed that it would probably be wise to work on the assumption that we have a greed problem rather than that we do not. This problem is exacerbated by the world we live in, a world where we are bombarded with advertising trying to create desires and wants. Making greed seem like need!
It is helpful to actually sit and think; ‘What are my needs?’ on a basic level we need food, water, clothing, shelter, warmth, friendship. It is telling to then compare that list with adverts we see on the side of buses, on poster boards, and on line or on screen, which tell us we need so much more!
Credit enhances that, credit seeks to make the need manufactured by advertising easy to fulfil. Feel like you need a new car, sofa, computer… here have the money to buy one. But of course you pay for that money later, and end up overpaying for what you actually did not need. It is not wise stewardship on any level, and leads people into debt.
Post fall possession and money and our attitudes to it are warped and distorted by sin. Greed is a very real danger; we can all too easily forget it is a gift of our creator and worship the created rather than God.
Having said that possession and material things are created and given by God for our good and for us to enjoy in thankfulness in Genesis 3 we see that along with all of creation money and possessions are affected by fall. They are now part of the world which is under the curse and is dislocated in terms of relationship with God and how we view it.
That is why the tenth Commandment is “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” One consequence of the fall is that instead of enjoying material things we are in danger of becoming enslaved by them. They are now a rival to God and his place in our affections.
The dangers of money enslaving us are emphasized in the parables that Jesus tells. Warnings are also found in Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:3 where believers are told to put greed to death, and that there is not to be even a hint of it in the church.
We need to be aware that as Christians greed is a very real danger for us. In fact so blind are we to greed that it would probably be wise to work on the assumption that we have a greed problem rather than that we do not. This problem is exacerbated by the world we live in, a world where we are bombarded with advertising trying to create desires and wants. Making greed seem like need!
It is helpful to actually sit and think; ‘What are my needs?’ on a basic level we need food, water, clothing, shelter, warmth, friendship. It is telling to then compare that list with adverts we see on the side of buses, on poster boards, and on line or on screen, which tell us we need so much more!
Credit enhances that, credit seeks to make the need manufactured by advertising easy to fulfil. Feel like you need a new car, sofa, computer… here have the money to buy one. But of course you pay for that money later, and end up overpaying for what you actually did not need. It is not wise stewardship on any level, and leads people into debt.
Post fall possession and money and our attitudes to it are warped and distorted by sin. Greed is a very real danger; we can all too easily forget it is a gift of our creator and worship the created rather than God.
The Christian and Money Part 1
Is money good or bad? What is a Christian attitude to money to be? What are our needs? How are we called to radical discipleship in the area of our bank balances and possessions? The Bible teaches more frequently about money than it does about sex and yet we rarely see that reflected in preaching programmes or home groups. So what does the Bible have to say about money?
God and money
In the beginning God made the world and everything in it and it is declared seven times to be ‘good’ (Genesis 1). God then gives what he has made to his stewards –Adam and Eve. They are to care for God’s creation, though it remains God’s. It is given to them to enjoy and is a good gift from a loving father to his obedient children.
In 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 we see that King David recognises this principle(11), he is amazed at the wealth God has provided which the people have been able to bring to contribute to the building of the temple. He recognises “Everything we have comes from you, and we have only given you what comes from your hand”. There is amazement at God’s provision, joy at being able to give and recognition that they are only giving back part of what God has given to them.
This idea carries over to the New Testament in 1 Tim 4:4 Paul is arguing against the prohibitions of false teachers who “forbid people to marry, and order them to abstain from certain foods...” He then emphasizes twice that “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving!” It seems to be an echo of what God taught Peter on the rooftop in Joppa.
But Paul adds that the believer is to give thanks to God for what they have. Again a reminder that everything we have is given to us by God – it’s his and we are given it to invest for his glory. Even what we work hard for is God’s; God has given us the talents and skills to get the job we have as well as the job itself.
We need to hear carefully what the Bible is saying here. God makes the material world and it is good, it is designed for humans to enjoy and money and possessions are part of that. But there is also in its very set up a helpful corrective God is the creator and he does not give up ownership of what he give but makes us stewards of what he has given us. It means that if everything we have is God’s given to us to invest then a lack of generosity isn’t excusable as ‘Oh so and so is just tight’, it is actually robbing God (Mal3:8).
God and money
In the beginning God made the world and everything in it and it is declared seven times to be ‘good’ (Genesis 1). God then gives what he has made to his stewards –Adam and Eve. They are to care for God’s creation, though it remains God’s. It is given to them to enjoy and is a good gift from a loving father to his obedient children.
In 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 we see that King David recognises this principle(11), he is amazed at the wealth God has provided which the people have been able to bring to contribute to the building of the temple. He recognises “Everything we have comes from you, and we have only given you what comes from your hand”. There is amazement at God’s provision, joy at being able to give and recognition that they are only giving back part of what God has given to them.
This idea carries over to the New Testament in 1 Tim 4:4 Paul is arguing against the prohibitions of false teachers who “forbid people to marry, and order them to abstain from certain foods...” He then emphasizes twice that “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving!” It seems to be an echo of what God taught Peter on the rooftop in Joppa.
But Paul adds that the believer is to give thanks to God for what they have. Again a reminder that everything we have is given to us by God – it’s his and we are given it to invest for his glory. Even what we work hard for is God’s; God has given us the talents and skills to get the job we have as well as the job itself.
We need to hear carefully what the Bible is saying here. God makes the material world and it is good, it is designed for humans to enjoy and money and possessions are part of that. But there is also in its very set up a helpful corrective God is the creator and he does not give up ownership of what he give but makes us stewards of what he has given us. It means that if everything we have is God’s given to us to invest then a lack of generosity isn’t excusable as ‘Oh so and so is just tight’, it is actually robbing God (Mal3:8).
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Need v Greed
In preparing the study for tonight I am aware that looking at our money and our use of it raises loads of questions. Here's a few:
- Should Christians tithe?
- Should we borrow money(credit) to buy goods?
- Is it wrong to be wealthy?
- You say God provided for everyone and we should trust him but what about Christians in Ethiopia and place where they are starving?
- So how should we respond to poverty?
- Do we respond to every need we see?
Tithing means giving 10%, it is an Old Testament norm, and many argue that it is not binding on the New Testament believers. I think that is right but I have also been interested to read Luke 11:37f where Jesus speaks woes against the Pharisees. Jesus point is that it is their legalism that is wrong not their tithing, (42) Jesus specifically says they should tithe but they should also respond to the needs for justice and God's love. In other words tithing is not enough! Surely the call is for greater generosity than tithing. We aren't meant to sit down with the calculator and our wage slip and work out 10% we are meant to look at God's gift and love at the cross and allow that to change our hearts so we give. Though I think the idea of tithing may be a helpful discussion point when we begin thinking about how much we give so we can then go beyond it. Though we must also bear in mind the directives about providing for our family, so in some cases 10% may be too much in others way to little.
As for Christians using credit or Hire Purchase to buy goods. The big question here is do you want it because of need or greed. Most of things bought on Credit are electrical appliances, furniture etc... Do we need them or have we given in to advertising creating a desire for them. Often applying that test removes the need to buy the object in the first place. But what about where there is a need, say someones car breaks and they don't have the £1000 to fix it. Old Testament practice was to lend money within the covenant community without charging interest, this may be something we should look at in our churches.
It is not wrong to be wealthy, Old Testament patriarchs were wealthy, and in the New Testament there are wealthy people in the church. What is striking about these people is that they are generous, they give away their wealth for God's glory, they do not view it as theirs but as God given for their stewardship for his glory. To amend spiderman with great God given wealth comes great responsibility.
What about those Christians in parts of the world who do not have enough? At root behind this question is the bigger question can I trust God? The answer is yes. Did you know that it is predicted that obese children will soon outnumber malnourished children in the world. That bald statistic alone shows that God has provided for them. It is just that he has given what they need into our stewardship and we aren't very good stewards.
So how should we respond to poverty? We must pray, we must also recognise that discipleship calls for us to radically alter our view of need and how we use the money God has given us. Churches need to start using the wealth God has given them to alleviate poverty. It is certainly something that we see the early church doing. Just think how many people could be fed or housed or helped if for every £1 we spent renovating a church building a £1 went to alleviating a need. Of course we need to do more than just that, we need to actually love people, build relationships with them, invite them into the church community
Should we respond to every need we see? I think actually a bigger problem is that we don't see needs, we live in isolated worlds where very often we are not aware of the needs of those we sit next to in church let alone those we live amongst. We should be looking to respond to needs we see but we need to think through how we respond. Friendship may actually be a greater need than money, help accessing benefits may be more loving than and gift card for the supermarket. A budgeting course may be more beneficial and more loving than a cheque.
Monday, 9 February 2009
The Christian and Money
Thinking through the Christian and Money for tomorrow evening, three questions which really got me thinking are below.
- What are the good things about money?
- What are the bad things?
- What are our needs?
It is quite telling to list what our needs our, especially to then let someone else look at them.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
"Normal" Christian living
Being a Christian involves ministry, the Christian cannot be passive or a spectator. How should that affect our careers and where we live. In February's briefing this order is suggested:
1. What's the best gospel work for me to be involved in?
2. Where do I need to live in order to share in that ministry?
3. What sort of job do I need to fund living in that place in order to do that ministry?
Tony Payne goes on to say: "...if you're making your decisions in reverse order then you haven't grasped the radical nature of the normal Christian life."
It is a provoking but helpful thought.
1. What's the best gospel work for me to be involved in?
2. Where do I need to live in order to share in that ministry?
3. What sort of job do I need to fund living in that place in order to do that ministry?
Tony Payne goes on to say: "...if you're making your decisions in reverse order then you haven't grasped the radical nature of the normal Christian life."
It is a provoking but helpful thought.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
A Surprising Lady
What do you think of when you think of the book of Esther? I guess its the brave heroine bravely going before the king at great personal risk to herself and saving God's people as God maintains his faithfulness to his covenant. And that is the final image of Esther, but surprisingly at the outset of the book Esther is very different and so Mordecai.
Chapters 1-2 are a little bit like the prologue of a novel, setting the scene as we meet the characters: there is Xerxes – the king, his sycophantic adviser's, Vashti the bold ex-queen, Mordecai the Jew, and Esther his cousin.
Then in chapter 2 after the removal of the old queen we see the reality of living in the world.
1. A World of Pressure
(1-4) King Xerxes does not come out of these opening chapters very well, he’s a party animal (ch1) and here ch2 we see he’s into pleasure. His advisers say why not hold a beauty contest and the winner (4) must please the king - there are two criteria beauty and performance in bed (14). It is definitely not X-Factor.
It is then strange to see Esther taken into this competition. It’s not what would you would expect to see or read, especially not when the passage emphasises her Jewishness. It seems that Esther is unwillingly taken to the court (8) but once there she seems to have done what was expected of her.
One of the intriguing things is that she kept her Jewishness secret under Mordecai’s instruction. It is certainly a messy situation which raises lots of questions as Esther is under pressure, as she faces being taken to the kings bed and assessed.
It is a reminder that pressure is natural for the people of God. Aliens and Strangers – that is what the Jewish were scattered throughout Persia. Living in lands and under rulers who did not know or follow God. Esther is not a manual telling us how to do that, how to live in a world which has very different standards and ideas to the Bible. She does not take a stand as Daniel and his friends did? (Is there a deliberate contrast there?) It is not advocating compromise. It is recording the facts.
2. The Sovereign Lord
What we see in the book of Esther is that God works through the muck and mistakes for his glory. Indeed it is one of the OT’s big lessons. (e.g. Gen Jacob and wives and children- is not recommending it is recording it). I think something similar is going on here.
This is not giving us Esther as a template to follow – keep quiet don’t tell anyone you are one of God’s people. Go along with the prevailing morality of the day. But it is showing us that God works through the muck, grim and mistakes to work out his sovereign purposes.
God will use Queen Esther, not because he approves of her actions and Mordecai's secrecy but because he is sovereignly at work. In God’s grace Esther is chosen despite her mistakes and God will use her to save his people and be faithful to his promises.
God places Mordecai where he can overhear and react – so that he will be where God needs him to effect God’s salvation. So God fulfils his promises to Abraham. Because what is at stake is God’s promises.
It poses the question - will I trust God? As a people in exile in a land hostile to God and Christian living will I trust him. Maybe we feel guilt for past mistakes and think that limits our usefulness to God. Esther tells us that God uses failures, in fact that is why Jesus has to come because none of us get it right. But God can use failure who realise they need to stand for him as Esther and Mordecai do in the rest of the book.
Chapters 1-2 are a little bit like the prologue of a novel, setting the scene as we meet the characters: there is Xerxes – the king, his sycophantic adviser's, Vashti the bold ex-queen, Mordecai the Jew, and Esther his cousin.
Then in chapter 2 after the removal of the old queen we see the reality of living in the world.
1. A World of Pressure
(1-4) King Xerxes does not come out of these opening chapters very well, he’s a party animal (ch1) and here ch2 we see he’s into pleasure. His advisers say why not hold a beauty contest and the winner (4) must please the king - there are two criteria beauty and performance in bed (14). It is definitely not X-Factor.
It is then strange to see Esther taken into this competition. It’s not what would you would expect to see or read, especially not when the passage emphasises her Jewishness. It seems that Esther is unwillingly taken to the court (8) but once there she seems to have done what was expected of her.
One of the intriguing things is that she kept her Jewishness secret under Mordecai’s instruction. It is certainly a messy situation which raises lots of questions as Esther is under pressure, as she faces being taken to the kings bed and assessed.
It is a reminder that pressure is natural for the people of God. Aliens and Strangers – that is what the Jewish were scattered throughout Persia. Living in lands and under rulers who did not know or follow God. Esther is not a manual telling us how to do that, how to live in a world which has very different standards and ideas to the Bible. She does not take a stand as Daniel and his friends did? (Is there a deliberate contrast there?) It is not advocating compromise. It is recording the facts.
2. The Sovereign Lord
What we see in the book of Esther is that God works through the muck and mistakes for his glory. Indeed it is one of the OT’s big lessons. (e.g. Gen Jacob and wives and children- is not recommending it is recording it). I think something similar is going on here.
This is not giving us Esther as a template to follow – keep quiet don’t tell anyone you are one of God’s people. Go along with the prevailing morality of the day. But it is showing us that God works through the muck, grim and mistakes to work out his sovereign purposes.
God will use Queen Esther, not because he approves of her actions and Mordecai's secrecy but because he is sovereignly at work. In God’s grace Esther is chosen despite her mistakes and God will use her to save his people and be faithful to his promises.
God places Mordecai where he can overhear and react – so that he will be where God needs him to effect God’s salvation. So God fulfils his promises to Abraham. Because what is at stake is God’s promises.
It poses the question - will I trust God? As a people in exile in a land hostile to God and Christian living will I trust him. Maybe we feel guilt for past mistakes and think that limits our usefulness to God. Esther tells us that God uses failures, in fact that is why Jesus has to come because none of us get it right. But God can use failure who realise they need to stand for him as Esther and Mordecai do in the rest of the book.
Thursday, 8 May 2008
The church on its knees?
The Times today carried the front page headline: "Church going on its knees as Christianity falls out of favour" and an article stating that if current trends continue then within a generation church attendance will have fallen behind that at Mosques, and be battling for second place with the Hinduism.
In the articles Hazel Blears said: "Britain is a secular democracy with a strong Christian tradition but many faiths have a home in Britain.”
How should we react to such news?
Firstly the article goes on to say that some evangelical churches are bucking the trend, where the truth is preached and people live by it the gospel continues to bear fruit.
Secondly it is a great insight into the need for the gospel in Britain. God has not changed, man's need has not changed and neither has the capability of the gospel to save.
Thirdly it should cause us to pray. Why? Because that is Daniel's response when he fears for his nation, because prayer is the place where we can bring our heart felt needs and concerns to God.
Finally it should make us aware of the opportunities. people expect the church to be dead or dying thus when they come across a church that is growing and active as it lives under God's word and models God's love to people it will be all the more startling for them. Indeed we have been involved in seeing people come to faith for whom that was exactly the starting point.
Religion may be on its knees Jesus Christ is not, he reigns at the right hand of his Father on high and he will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We are privileged to be on the front line of that project in a nation with so many opportunities for those who will live with Jesus as their Saviour and their Lord.
In the articles Hazel Blears said: "Britain is a secular democracy with a strong Christian tradition but many faiths have a home in Britain.”
How should we react to such news?
Firstly the article goes on to say that some evangelical churches are bucking the trend, where the truth is preached and people live by it the gospel continues to bear fruit.
Secondly it is a great insight into the need for the gospel in Britain. God has not changed, man's need has not changed and neither has the capability of the gospel to save.
Thirdly it should cause us to pray. Why? Because that is Daniel's response when he fears for his nation, because prayer is the place where we can bring our heart felt needs and concerns to God.
Finally it should make us aware of the opportunities. people expect the church to be dead or dying thus when they come across a church that is growing and active as it lives under God's word and models God's love to people it will be all the more startling for them. Indeed we have been involved in seeing people come to faith for whom that was exactly the starting point.
Religion may be on its knees Jesus Christ is not, he reigns at the right hand of his Father on high and he will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We are privileged to be on the front line of that project in a nation with so many opportunities for those who will live with Jesus as their Saviour and their Lord.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
A Godly reaction to disaster.
How should we react to a disaster like the cyclone which has struck Burma and left so much death and destruction in its wake?
1. Be affected
In these days of 24 hour news the impact of such disasters have lessened, the first question is do I really feel that loss. Such an event with its tragic loss of life should move us.
2. Be alert
It should heighten our awareness to do what we can do in the area God has placed us to alleviate suffering.
3. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ
Pray that our fellow believers would know God's strength in the midst of this disaster, that God would be their comfort and refuge. Pray that the church would declare the gospel to the world and beyond in the way it responds.
4. Pray for unbelievers
We should pray that it would awaken people to what is wrong with the world and that through the love God's people show them that they would come to faith.
5. Pray for ourselves
That we are not lulled into comfort by our lives, that we would live pressing on for goal not settle for what we have here.
6. Act
Give to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Burma.
1. Be affected
In these days of 24 hour news the impact of such disasters have lessened, the first question is do I really feel that loss. Such an event with its tragic loss of life should move us.
2. Be alert
It should heighten our awareness to do what we can do in the area God has placed us to alleviate suffering.
3. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ
Pray that our fellow believers would know God's strength in the midst of this disaster, that God would be their comfort and refuge. Pray that the church would declare the gospel to the world and beyond in the way it responds.
4. Pray for unbelievers
We should pray that it would awaken people to what is wrong with the world and that through the love God's people show them that they would come to faith.
5. Pray for ourselves
That we are not lulled into comfort by our lives, that we would live pressing on for goal not settle for what we have here.
6. Act
Give to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Burma.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Are we fiddling while Rome burns?
This appeared on the 9 marks blog on Wednesday, it was written by David Wells and makes provocative reading.
"A recent Barna report offers an interesting snapshot of the current mood. Surveying those who are “Christian” by self-designation—which, we know, is not of much use as a category—Barna found that a majority of adults believe that there are six alternative ways to attend a conventional church service that are biblically acceptable:
- worship at home (89%),
- active in house church (75%),
- watching religious TV (69%),
- radio broadcast (68%),
- special ministry event (68%),
- and participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).
Keep in mind, these are not both/ands, but alternatives! Each of the six was deemed by most adults to be “a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God.” Barna also found two more alternatives regarded as legitimate by a significant minority of adults, including
- interacting with a religious website (45%)
- and engaging in spiritual activity on the internet (42%).
Appended to this report are the conclusions from Barna's latest book (Pagan Christianity, co-authored with Frank Viola) which argues that much of what conventional churches do are rooted in pagan origins: church buildings, formal sermons, official pastors, the truncated form of the Lord Supper, as well as later accretions like stained glass, pews, altar calls, pulpits, pastoral prayers, church bulletins, clergy attire, choirs, tithing, seminaries, infant baptism, and funeral processions."
What if these statistics are true? Is this mood in our churches? Most other trends from America are found over here, how about this one? If it is how are we going to respond to it? What are its causes?
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